The present invention relates to imaging technology. In particular, it relates to systems and methods that facilitate the measuring and/or imaging of a fluorescent light source distribution inside a subject.
Imaging with light is steadily gaining popularity in biomedical applications. One currently popular light imaging application involves the capture of low intensity light emitted from a biological subject. This technology is known as in vivo optical imaging. Light emitting probes that are placed inside the subject typically indicate where an activity of interest might be taking place. In one application, cancerous tumor cells are targeted with a fluorescent probe consisting of a fluorescent dye conjugated to a targeting agent such as chlorotoxin.
In surgical applications, such a probe might be injected prior to surgery to help define the location and boundaries of the tumor, to improve resection results. During surgery on particular anatomical area of a subject, the area of interest may be imaged using any number of imaging techniques. One type of imaging is referred to as fluorescence imaging. Photons emitted by labeled cells scatter in the tissue of the subject, resulting in diffusive photon propagation through the tissue. As the photons diffuse, many are absorbed, but a fraction reaches the surface of the subject. The photons emitted from surface of the subject can then be detected by a camera. Light imaging systems capture images that record the two-dimensional (2D) spatial distribution of the photons emitted from the surface. This 2D spatial distribution of the photon can be analyzed to provide information regarding the target cells.
It would be beneficial to provide improved apparatus and methods for fluorescent imaging during surgery.